Rival gangs are shooting it out for control of the mean streets of South-Central LA, fighting for control of the drug trade and everything else. As homicide detectives Dover and Falcon finally locate Kinks, a Crip drug lord they've been looking for, they become part of a drive-by shooting involving rival Bloods intend on killing Kinks. Dover escapes injury when a carpenter doing work nearby knocks him down. The man is seriously injured, taking three bullets in the back. Kinks is also shot, but still alive. Though both men are taken to a nearby hospital, the carpenter walks away before he can be interviewed by the detectives. Shortly afterwards, all hell breaks loose when Kinks is assassinated in his hospital room. Just what else can go wrong? Dover and Falcon soon find themselves deeply embroiled in a deadly gang war and dead bodies start piling up.

Eventually, the carpenter is located and agrees to help with the investigation. A local priest is also involved in the outcome, which gives this plot a bit of a mystical, spiritual overtone. However, the explosive confrontation set to come will shock them all with its surprising conclusion.

It's obvious that former FBI agent Mark Bouton knows about what he writes. The repartee between partners Dover and Falcon is realistic, as are the conversations of the criminals, making this an authentic look behind the scenes of law enforcement and violent crime. Another winner for this talented author.